John T. "Killer" Johnson, Sr., president and founder of Mid-South Wire
Company in Nashville, Tennessee passed away Sunday March 3, 2002 at 68
years of age. Mid-South Wire was a charter member of the American Wire
Association (AWPA) with John Sr. as its representative.
John T. Senior was known to everyone as "Killer"; a nickname that stayed
with him from his youth. A prominent figure in the Nashville community,
Killer was an avid supporter of a number of local college sports programs,
including Middle Tennessee State University and Tennessee State University.
In addition, he was a Co-Founder of the 100 Club of Nashville, an organization
dedicated to providing financial assistance to the families of police and
firefighters killed in the line of duty.
After graduating from the University of the South, in Sewannee, TN,
he went to Spain to work on a NATO pipeline installation. While working
there he suffered a serious accident that almost took his life and left
him with lingering injuries. During a related hospital stay he met and
eventually married his wife of 42 years, Peggy.
He leaves behind his wife Peggy; his two sons John T., Johnson, Jr,
and Scott Johnson; and two grandchildren John T. (Tate) Johnson, III and
Lara Lillian Johnson.
John T. Johnson Sr. started Mid-South Wire Company in 1966, operating
with only one used "side-winder" drawing machine, in the basement of a
Nashville warehouse. In just a few years, the company grew from that one
machine to become one of the largest producers of low carbon steel wire
in the country. Mid-South Wire Company, under the direction of his oldest
son, John T. Johnson, Jr., currently produces and ships over 200,000 tons
per year of plating quality, industrial quality, and galvanized steel wire.
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American Wire Producers Association
801 North Fairfax Street, Suite 211
Alexandria, VA 22314-1757
Tel (703) 299-4434 | Fax (703) 299-9233 | E-mail info@awpa.org | Web: www.awpa.org
